U.S. patent number 4,987,623 [Application Number 07/470,855] was granted by the patent office on 1991-01-29 for hospital stretcher having patient transfer device and side rails with handle portions.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Stryker Corporation. Invention is credited to Thomas W. Fennell, Martin W. Stryker.
United States Patent |
4,987,623 |
Stryker , et al. |
January 29, 1991 |
Hospital stretcher having patient transfer device and side rails
with handle portions
Abstract
A hospital stretcher includes an upwardly facing patient support
surface and side rails on each side of the surface movable between
raised and collapsed positions. Each side rail has at one end a
spindle with a handle portion which, in the raised position,
extends downwardly and away from the side rail. In the collapsed
position, the top of each side rail is disposed below the support
surface on the stretcher. The stretcher has on each side thereof a
patient transfer mechanism, each transfer mechanism including a
support board which can, from a retracted position disposed lower
than the patient support surface, move upwardly between the support
surface and one side rail in a vertical orientation and then pivot
90.degree. to a horizontal orientation in which a surface thereon
is level with the patient support surface and in which an underside
of one edge portion of the support board rests on top of the
collapsed side rail.
Inventors: |
Stryker; Martin W. (Kalamazoo
Township, Kalamazoo County, MI), Fennell; Thomas W.
(Portage, MI) |
Assignee: |
Stryker Corporation (Kalamazoo,
MI)
|
Family
ID: |
23869340 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/470,855 |
Filed: |
January 26, 1990 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/86.1; 5/185;
5/430; 5/81.1R; D12/128 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61G
1/003 (20130101); A61G 7/0507 (20130101); A61G
1/0237 (20130101); A61G 1/0212 (20130101); A61G
7/0509 (20161101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61G
1/02 (20060101); A61G 1/003 (20060101); A61G
1/00 (20060101); A61G 001/02 (); A47C 021/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;5/81R,81B,86,181,185,425,427-430 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
Surgicraft HTF Stretcher; Excerpt from Hamilton Industries
Marketing Brochure (2 pages). .
Totalift Stretcher; Excerpt from WY.sup.1 East Medical Marketing
Brochure (2 pg.). .
MLA Mobilizer Stretcher; Medical Laboratory Automation, Inc.,
Marketing Brochure (2 pages). .
Easy-Lift Stretcher; Excerpt from Hausted Marketing Brochure (1
page). .
Patient-Mover Stretcher; T.B.S., Inc. Marketing Flyer (1 page).
.
Maquet Stretcher; Excerpt from Descriptive Document (1 page). .
Tomac Surgilift II Stretcher; Excerpt from American Hospital Supply
Catalogs (2 pages). .
PAL Patient Lift; "Transport Patients More Quickly"; Health Care
Systems, p. 6..
|
Primary Examiner: Trettel; Michael F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Flynn, Thiel, Boutell &
Tanis
Claims
The embodiments in which an exclusive property or privilege is
claimed are defined as follows:
1. An apparatus comprising: a vehicle having an upwardly facing
surface; a support member having thereon a support surface; and
support means supporting said support member on said vehicle for
movement between a retracted position in which said support member
is disposed below said surface on said vehicle and an operational
position in which said support member is disposed in the region of
an edge portion of said surface on said vehicle and is oriented so
that said support surface thereon is facing upwardly and is at
approximately the same vertical level as said surface on said
vehicle, said support surface including a portion which is disposed
horizontally outwardly beyond said edge portion of said surface on
said vehicle, wherein as said support member moves from said
retracted position to said operational position said support means
causes said support member to move upwardly adjacent said edge
portion of said surface on said vehicle with said support member
oriented so that said support surface thereon extends approximately
vertically; and wherein said vehicle has a side rail spaced
outwardly from said edge portion of said surface on said vehicle
and movable between a lowered position in which a top of said side
rail is disposed below said surface on said vehicle and a raised
position in which said top of said side rail is higher than said
surface on said vehicle, said upward movement of said support
member with said support surface thereon approximately vertical
taking place between said side rail and said edge portion of said
surface on said vehicle.
2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said support member
has an edge portion which rests on said top of said side rail when
said support member is in said operational position and said side
rail is in said lowered position.
3. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said support member
has a shallow groove therein, and said top on said guide rail
engages said shallow groove when said support member is in said
operational position.
4. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said side rail
includes a base rail fixedly supported on said vehicle, a top rail,
and a plurality of elongate spindles which each have one end
pivotally supported on said bottom rail and a further end pivotally
coupled to said top rail, one of said spindles located at one end
of said side rail having a portion which, in said lowered position
of said side rail, engages and supports a portion of said support
member.
5. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said support means
supports said support member for pivotal movement about a
substantially horizontal axis which extends approximately parallel
to said edge portion of said surface on said vehicle and which is
provided near an edge of said support member closest to said
surface on said vehicle when said support member is in said
operational position, said support member being pivotal about said
axis between said operational position in which said support
surface on said support member is approximately horizontal and an
upright position in which said support surface on said support
member extends approximately vertically.
6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein when said support
member is in said retracted position said support surface thereon
extends substantially vertically and said support member is located
between said side rail and a portion of said vehicle having said
support surface thereon.
7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said support member
has an edge portion which, when said support member is in said
operational position, is remote from said support surface on said
vehicle and is inclined to extend downwardly and away from said
surface on said vehicle.
8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said support means
includes means supporting said support member for pivotal movement
about a horizontal axis located in the region of an edge portion of
said support member, said edge portion of said support member being
located in the region of said edge portion of said surface on said
vehicle when said support member is in said operational
position.
9. An apparatus comprising: a vehicle having an upwardly facing
surface; a support member having thereon a support surface; and
support means supporting said support member on said vehicle for
movement between a retracted position in which said support member
is disposed below said surface on said vehicle and an operational
position in which said support member is disposed in the region of
an edge portion of said surface on said vehicle and is oriented so
that said support surface thereon is facing upwardly and is at
approximately the same vertical level as said surface on said
vehicle, said support surface including a portion which is disposed
horizontally outwardly beyond said edge portion of said surface on
said vehicle; and wherein said support means includes means for
substantially counterbalancing the weight of said support
member.
10. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein as said support
member moves from said retracted position to said operational
position, said support means causes said support member to move
upwardly adjacent said edge portion of said surface on said vehicle
with said support member oriented so that said support surface
thereon extends approximately vertically.
11. An apparatus comprising: a vehicle having an upwardly facing
surface; a support member having thereon a support surface; and
support means supporting said support member on said vehicle for
movement between a retracted position in which said support member
is disposed below said surface on said vehicle and an operational
position in which said support member is disposed in the region of
an edge portion of said surface on said vehicle and is oriented so
that said support surface thereon is facing upwardly and is at
approximately the same vertical level as said surface on said
vehicle, said support surface including a portion which is disposed
outwardly in a horizontal direction beyond said edge portion of
said surface on said vehicle; wherein said support means includes
two separate support arms which each have a first end supported on
said vehicle for pivotal movement about a respective pivot axis and
which each have a second end pivotally coupled to said support
member.
12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said pivot axes of
said support arms are spaced and substantially parallel, and each
extend approximately parallel to said horizontal direction.
13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, including a link which
extends between and is pivotally coupled to each of said support
arms at locations spaced radially from the pivot axes of said
support arms, said link forcing said support arms to pivot
synchronously.
14. An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said support means
includes means for substantially counterbalancing the weight of
said support member.
15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said means for
counterbalancing includes an expansion spring having one end
coupled to said vehicle and a further end coupled to said link.
16. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein each said support
arm includes a first portion which extends coaxially with said
pivot axis thereof and is rotatably supported on said vehicle, a
second portion extending radially outwardly from an end of said
first portion, a third portion extending outwardly from a radially
outer end of said second portion substantially parallel to said
first portion, and a fourth portion extending outwardly from an end
of said third portion remote from said second portion, each said
support arm being pivotally coupled to said support member at end
of said fourth portion thereof remote from said third portion
thereof.
17. An apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein when said support
member is in said retracted position, said fourth portion of each
said support arm extends substantially parallel to and engages an
edge surface of said support member.
18. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said support means
includes at said second end of each said support arm a support part
which is supported on said second end of such support arm for
pivotal movement about an axis extending substantially parallel to
the pivot axis of such support arm, said support member being
coupled to each said support part for pivotal movement relative
thereto about a common horizontal axis extending substantially
perpendicular to said pivot axes of said support arms.
19. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said support means
includes at said second end of each said support arm a support
portion which moves approximately vertically in response to pivotal
movement of such support arm and which has two coaxial pivot pin
portions extending outwardly therefrom in opposite directions, said
support means further including said support member having first
and second parts which are fixedly secured to each other, said
first part having spaced first and second recesses in an edge
portion thereof and having in a surface thereof disposed against
said second part two pairs of grooves, said grooves of each said
pair communicating with and extending outwardly in opposite
directions from a respective one of said first and second recesses,
each said support part extending into a respective said recess and
said pivot pin portions on each said support part being
respectively rotatably disposed in said grooves of a respective
said pair.
20. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein said support part
has thereon a stop which is engageable with said support member to
limit pivotal movement of said support member relative to said
support part.
21. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein said support part
is a vertically extending platelike member having a cylindrical rod
welded to an upper edge thereof, said pivot pin portions being
respective end portions of said rod.
22. An apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein said stop is a
piece of metal welded on one side of a central portion of said
rod.
23. An apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein each said
platelike member is supported on said second end of a respective
said support arm for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis
extending substantially parallel to the pivot axis of such support
arm.
24. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein said first and
second parts of said support member are adhesively secured to each
other.
25. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein when said support
member is in said retracted position said support member
substantially visually conceals said support arms.
26. An apparatus comprising: a vehicle having an upwardly facing
surface; a support member having thereon a support surface; and
support means supporting said support member on said vehicle for
movement between a retracted position in which said support member
is disposed below said surface on said vehicle and an operational
position in which said support member is disposed in the region of
an edge portion of said surface on said vehicle and is oriented so
that said support surface thereon is facing upwardly and is at
approximately the same vertical level as said surface on said
vehicle, said support surface including a portion which is disposed
horizontally outwardly beyond said edge portion of said surface on
said vehicle, wherein as said support member moves from said
retracted position to said operational position said support means
causes said support member to move upwardly adjacent said edge
portion of said surface on said vehicle with said support member
oriented so that said support surface thereon extends approximately
vertically; wherein said support means includes two support arms
which each have one end pivotally supported on said vehicle and
have an opposite end pivotally coupled to said support member; and
including a link which extends between and is pivotally coupled to
each of said support arms at locations spaced radially from the
pivot axes of said support arms, said link forcing said support
arms to pivot synchronously.
27. An apparatus comprising: a vehicle having an upwardly facing
surface thereon; a support member having a support surface thereon;
and support means cooperable with an edge portion of said support
member for facilitating movement of said support member between a
retracted position in which said support member is disposed
vertically lower than said surface on said vehicle and an
operational position in which said edge portion of said support
member is adjacent an edge portion of said surface on said vehicle
and in which said support surface on said support member is
substantially horizontal, faces upwardly and extends from said edge
portion of said support member horizontally outwardly away from
said edge portion of said surface on said vehicle; wherein said
support means includes means supporting said support member for
pivotal movement about a horizontal axis located in the region of
said edge portion of said support member; and wherein said support
means includes a side rail on said vehicle which engages an
underside of said edge portion of said support member when said
support member is in said operational position, said pivot axis
being disposed between said side rail and said edge portion of said
surface on said vehicle when said support member is in said
operational position.
28. An apparatus comprising: a vehicle having thereon an upwardly
facing surface, and first and second side rails which are provided
on opposite sides of said surface and which project upwardly beyond
said surface, each said side rail having at one end a handle
portion which can be manually gripped and which is inclined to
extend downwardly and away from said side rail; wherein each of
said first and second side rails includes a bottom rail fixedly
supported on said vehicle, a top rail, and a plurality of spindles
which each have a first end pivotally supported on said bottom rail
and a second end pivotally supported on said top rail, each said
side rail being movable between a raised position in which said
side rail projects upwardly beyond said surface on said vehicle and
a lowered position in which said side rail is disposed lower then
said surface on said vehicle, said handle portion of each said side
rail being a portion of one of said spindles.
29. An apparatus as recited in claim 28, wherein each said spindle
having said handle portion thereon is a bent rod having a straight
central portion connecting two straight end portions which each
extend at an angle with respect to said central portion, the ends
of said end portions remote from said central portion each being
pivotally coupled to a respective one of said bottom rail and said
top rail, said end portion pivotally coupled to said top rail being
said handle portion of said side rail.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile stretcher for use in a
hospital and, more particularly, to such a stretcher having an
integral patient transfer device and having side rails which
facilitate manual maneuverability of the stretcher.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During use of a mobile stretcher in a hospital, it is frequently
necessary to transfer a patient from the stretcher to another
stretcher (or a bed or X-ray table), or vice versa. In some cases,
this is done by simply positioning the two stretchers side by side
and then having several persons physically lift and slide the
patient from one stretcher to the other. This is dangerous to the
patient, because the patient may be dropped on the floor between
the stretchers. Further, it is dangerous to hospital personnel,
because it is a common source of serious back injuries.
Devices have been developed to facilitate patient transfers, but
they are often special devices which are separate from a stretcher
and which may be lost or at least not readily available when it is
necessary to effect a patient transfer. Also, some devices require
electricity from a wall outlet, and there may not always be a wall
outlet handy when a patient transfer must be made. One known
stretcher has an arrangement which can serve both as a side rail
and as a patient transfer device, but it is relatively bulky and
cumbersome to operate, and in particular cannot be easily moved
into a transfer position once two stretcher have been placed in a
side by side relationship unless the positions of the stretchers
are physically jockeyed.
A related source of back injury for hospital personnel grows out of
manually maneuvering stretchers. In particular, a person
maneuvering a stretcher usually stands at one end of the stretcher.
The typical stretcher has no handles at either end. Thus, to grasp
the end of the bed, the person must lean over, which presents a
risk of back injury. While it would be possible to use a
conventional mechanism of the stretcher to raise the vertical
height of the mattress support frame and thus the patient, this
raises the center of gravity and thus reduces the stability of the
stretcher, presents an increased risk of danger to the patient due
to the added height, and also reduces the patient's sense of
security.
On the other hand, most stretchers do have collapsible side rails
located on each side of the mattress. When the side rail is in a
raised position, it has a horizontally extending top rail and a
number of spaced spindles which extend vertically downwardly from
the top rail. The person who wishes to maneuver the stretcher can
lean over the stretcher and grasp either an end spindle of each
side rail or the top rail of each side rail. However, the vertical
spindle and horizontal top rail are not convenient to grasp, which
forces the person to lean farther than is desirable and thus
increases the risk that a back injury may result while the
stretcher is being maneuvered. Further, since it is customary for
the person to stand at the end of the bed corresponding to the head
of the patient, the person and the patient may breathe on each
other while the person is leaning over the patient, and thus if
either has an infectious disease it may be transferred to the
other.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a
patient transfer arrangement which is an integral part of a
stretcher, which is compact, and which does not require
electricity.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a patient
transfer arrangement which can be easily operated by one person,
and which can be operated when two stretcher are in a side by side
relationship without any need to jockey the positions of the
stretchers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an arrangement
which makes it easy for a person to maneuver the stretcher while
minimizing the extent to which the person must lean forwardly over
the stretcher, in order to thereby reduce the risk of injury to
such person.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set
forth above, are met according to a first form of the present
invention by providing an apparatus which includes a vehicle having
an upwardly facing surface, a support member having thereon a
support surface, and a support arrangement supporting the support
member on the vehicle for movement between a retracted position in
which the support member is disposed lower than the surface on the
vehicle and an operational position in which the support member is
disposed in the region of an edge portion of the surface on the
vehicle and is oriented so that the support surface thereon is
facing upwardly and is at approximately the same vertical level as
the surface on the vehicle. The support surface includes a portion
which in the operational position is disclosed horizontally
outwardly beyond the edge portion of the surface on the vehicle,
and as the support member moves from its retracted position to its
operational position it moves upwardly adjacent the edge portion of
the surface on the vehicle with its support surface oriented to
extend approximately vertically.
A different form of the invention involves the provision of a
vehicle having an upwardly facing surface, a support member having
a support surface, and a support arrangement cooperable with an
edge portion of the support member to support it, the support
arrangement facilitating movement of the support member between a
retracted position in which the support member is disposed
vertically lower than the surface on the vehicle and an operational
position in which the edge portion of the support member is
adjacent an edge portion of the surface on the vehicle and the
support surface on the support member is substantially horizontal,
faces upwardly, and extends from the edge portion of the support
member horizontally outwardly away from the edge portion of the
surface on the vehicle.
A different form of the present invention involves the provision of
a vehicle having thereon an upwardly facing surface, and having
first and second side rails which are provided on opposite sides of
the surface and which project upwardly beyond the surface, each
side rail having at one end a handle portion which can be manually
gripped and which is inclined to extend downwardly and away from
the side rail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Two preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in
detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hospital stretcher which embodies
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an elevational side view of an upper portion of the
stretcher of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side view of a support board mechanism which is part of
the stretcher of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the support board mechanism of FIG. 3 in a
different operational position;
FIG. 5 is a sectional end view of the support board mechanism of
FIGS. 3 and 4 in a different operational position;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional side view of a releasable locking
mechanism for a collapsible side rail which is a component of the
stretcher of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII--VII in FIG.
4;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII--VIII in FIG.
4;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of selected of the
stretcher of FIG. 1, certain components of the stretcher being
omitted from FIG. 9 for purposes of clarity;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 9 but showing a
different embodiment of the structure of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI--XI in FIG. 4;
and
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side view of a support board and pivot
assembly which are components of the support board mechanism shown
in FIGS. 3 and 4 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 which embodies the present
invention is a hospital stretcher movably supported by wheels 11.
The vehicle 10 includes a conventional base 12 supported on four
caster assemblies 13 which each include a respective one of the
wheels 11. The base 12 supports a metal frame 16, which in turn
supports a conventional mattress having an upwardly facing support
surface 18 on which a patient can be placed. The base 12 preferably
includes a conventional mechanism which is not illustrated in
detail and which permits the frame 16 and mattress 17 thereon to be
selectively raised and lowered to different vertical heights. The
frame 16 preferably includes a mattress support portion 19, on
which the mattress 17 is directly supported, the mattress support
portion 19 in turn being supported on two spaced and parallel metal
spines 21 and 22 which extend lengthwise of the vehicle 10
substantially the full length thereof.
The vehicle 10 has on opposites sides thereof two collapsible side
rails 23 and 24. The side rails 23 and 24 are mirror images of each
other, and therefore only the side rail 24 is described in detail.
Referring to FIG. 1, the side rail 24 includes a metal bottom rail
26 which is spaced outwardly from and extends parallel to a side
edge of the mattress 17. The ends of the bottom rail 26 are fixedly
supported on the ends of the spine 22 by two end parts 28 and 29.
As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 9, two U-shaped metal stirrups 31 and
32 each have a bight 33 or 34 and two legs 36 or 37 and 38 or 39
which extend upwardly from opposites ends of the bight. The upper
ends of the legs 36 and 37 are fixedly secured to the spine 22, for
example by welding, and the upper ends of the legs 38 and 39 are
fixedly secured to the underside of the bottom rail 26, for example
by welding. The bights 33 and 34 of the two stirrups 31 and 32 each
have on the upper side thereof a respective plastic stop 41 or 42,
for a purpose described in more detail later.
The bottom rail 26, corner parts 28 and 29 and stirrups 31 and 32
are regarded herein as parts of the frame 16. The stirrups 31 and
32 can, if desired, be eliminated, provided the corner parts 28 and
29 are sufficiently strong to rigidly support the bottom rail
26.
The side rail 24 includes six metal clevis-like spindle supports
45-50 which are secured at spaced locations to the top of the
bottom rail 26, and includes six metal spindles 53-58 which each
have one end pivotally supported on a respective one of the spindle
supports 45-50. The side rail 24 also includes a horizontally
extending metal top rail 61 which, as evident from FIG. 5, has a
downwardly open U-shaped cross section, the top rail having end
portions 62 and 63 which are inclined to extend downwardly and
outwardly and which are each pivotally coupled at their outer ends
to the upper ends of the respective spindles 53 and 58. The top
rail 61 has four pairs 66-69 of downwardly projecting wall
portions, each such pair having therebetween and being pivotally
coupled to the upper end of a respective one of the four spindles
54-57.
The side rail 24 can move between a raised position shown in FIG. 1
in which the top rail 61 is vertically higher than the top surface
18 on the mattress 17 in order to prevent a patient from
inadvertently rolling off the mattress, and a lowered or collapsed
position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 in which, as evident from FIG. 5,
the top of the top rail 61 is vertically lower than the top surface
18 on mattress 17.
The five spindles 54-58 are all rectilinear, whereas the spindle 53
is bent. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spindle 53
includes a central portion 73 and includes two end portions 72 and
74 which are each bent to extend at an angle with respect to the
central portion 73, the end portion 72 serving as a manually
graspable handle portion to facilitate maneuvering of the vehicle
10, as described later. The portion 72 forms an angle of 25.degree.
with respect to the central portion 72 (and thus an angle of
65.degree. with respect to the horizontal top rail 61 when the side
rail 24 is raised), and the portion 74 forms an angle of 40.degree.
with respect to the central portion 73.
As shown in FIG. 2, the four spindle supports 47-50 differ from the
spindle supports 45 and 46 in that each has an upward projection,
one of which is shown at 76 for spindle support 49, each such
projection having a semi-circular recess which receives a
respective one of the four center spindles 54-57 when the side rail
24 is in the collapsed position of FIG. 2, each spindle being
engaged by the associated projection at a location near its pivotal
connection with the top rail. These projections on the spindle
supports 47-50 precisely control the vertical level of the top rail
61 in the collapsed position of FIG. 2, and ensure that the top
rail 61 does not move downwardly from this position if downward
vertical forces are exerted on it in the collapsed position. The
semi-circular recesses in these projections minimize any tendency
of the top rail 61 to move laterally toward or away from the
mattress 17 when the side rail 24 is in its collapsed position.
The bent shape of the end spindle 53 has been selected so that, as
evident from FIG. 2, the central portion 73 thereof will be at
substantially the same vertical level as the top rail 61 in the
collapsed position of the side rail 24, for a purpose described
later.
The spindle support 45 differs from the other spindle supports
46-50 in that it includes a latch mechanism for releasably locking
the side rail 24 in the raised position of FIG. 1. More
specifically, and referring to FIG. 6, the spindle support 45
includes a bottom wall 77 having a downward cylindrical projection
78 which extends through a hole in the top of the bottom rail 26,
the projection 78 being threadedly engaged with the threaded shank
of a bolt 79, the not-illustrated head of the bolt being disposed
against and the shank extending through a hole in a bottom wall of
the bottom rail 26. The bottom wall 77 of the spindle support 45
connects two parallel and upwardly extending side walls, only one
of which is visible at 82. Two pins 83 and 86 extend transversely
between and are fixedly supported on the side walls, the pin 83
extending through an opening in the lower end of the spindle 53 to
effect the pivotal support of spindle 53 on spindle support 45. The
pin 86 extends through an opening in and thereby pivotally supports
a latch member 87. An inclined wall 88 extends between the upper
ends of the side walls of the spindle support 45, and a helical
compression spring 89 has one end disposed in a circular recess in
the inclined wall 88 and its other end disposed in a circular
recess in the latch member 87, and continuously resiliently urges
counterclockwise pivotal movement of the latch member 87 in FIG. 6.
The latch member 87 has a handle end 92 which can be manually
lifted in order to pivot the latch member 87 clockwise against the
force of the spring 89, and has a latch end 93 which can engage a
notch 94 provided at one side of a rounded lower end 96 of the
spindle 53. When the latch end 93 is engaging the notch 94, the
spindle 53, which in FIG. 6 is in a position corresponding to the
raised position of the side wall 24, is prevented from pivoting
clockwise in FIG. 6, as a result of which the entire side wall 24
is maintained in the raised position. If the handle end 92 of the
latch member 87 is manually lifted, the latch end 93 will move
downwardly out of engagement with the notch 94, so that the spindle
53 can be pivoted clockwise in FIG. 6 and thus the side rail 24 can
move from its raised position to its collapsed position. As soon as
the side rail 24 has been moved a small distance away from its
raised position, the manual pressure on the handle end 92 of the
latch member 87 can be released, after which the spring 89 will
urge the latch end 93 against the rounded end 96 of the spindle 53,
and the latch end 93 will slide on the rounded end 96 as the
spindle 53 pivots, until the spindle 53 is again moved to the
position which is shown in FIG. 6 and which corresponds to the
raised position of the side rail, at which point the spring 89 will
cause the latch end 93 to snap into the notch 94 and thereby
automatically latch the side rail 24 in its raised position.
The inclined wall 88 has a threaded hole which extends through it
and which receives a screw 98, the outer end of the shank of the
screw 98 engaging a plastic member 99 provided on the spindle 53
and thereby serving as a stop to limit counterclockwise movement of
the spindle 53 in FIG. 6.
Referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 has retractable support board
mechanisms 103 and 104 on opposite sides of the mattress 17. The
support board mechanisms 103 and 104 are mirror images but
otherwise identical, and therefore only the mechanism 103 is
described in detail.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 9, the mechanism 103 includes two
horizontal bearing sleeves 106 and 107 which are each welded to the
underside of a respective plate 108 or 109, the plates 108 and 109
each being welded to the underside of the spine 22 at respective
spaced locations therealong. The bearing sleeves 106 and 107 each
extend transversely of the spine 22. The bearing sleeve 106 has
fixedly welded to it an upwardly projecting metal tab 110.
The bearing sleeves 106 and 107 each pivotally support a respective
board support arm 112 or 113. The supports arms 112 and 113 each
have the same shape, and thus only the shape of the board arm 112
is described in detail. More specifically, referring to FIGS. 5 and
9, the arm 112 is a bent cylindrical rod having at one end a pivot
portion 116 which is rotatably disposed in the bearing sleeve 106.
The rod 112 has a portion 117 which extends radially away from the
portion 116, an axially extending portion 118 which is at the outer
end of the portion 117 and extends approximately parallel to the
pivot portion 116, and an end portion 119 which extends outwardly
from the portion 118 substantially perpendicular to the portion
118. The portions 117 and 119 lie in respective planes which are
parallel to each other and perpendicular to the portion 118, the
portions 117 and 119 being skewed with respect to each other.
A metal plate 123 is fixedly welded to and extends radially
outwardly from the pivot portion 116, and a plate 124 is welded to
the other support arm 113 in a similar manner. The plates each
engage one end of the associated bearing sleeve 106 or 107 in order
to prevent movement of the pivot portion of the associated arm in
one axial direction, and axial movement of the pivot portion in the
opposite direction can be prevented in any convenient manner, for
example by the snap ring shown at 125 in FIG. 5, or by a cotter
pin.
An elongate link rod 126 has flattened ends which are pivotally
coupled by rivets at 127 and 128 to the radially outer ends of the
respective plates 123 and 124. The rod 126 has an upwardly
extending tab 131 welded to it, and a helical compression spring
132 has its ends respectively supported by the tab 110 on sleeve
106 and the tab 131 on rod 126. The spring 132 resiliently urges
the rod 126 leftwardly in FIG. 9, which in turn urges the support
arms 112 and 113 to pivot clockwise in FIG. 9.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the support board mechanism 103
further includes a support board 136 which is coupled by two pivot
assemblies 137 and 138 to the ends of the respective board support
arms 112 and 113. The support board 136, as shown in FIG. 11,
includes a main board part 141 and a reinforcing board part 142,
which are each preferably made of ABS
(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene). The main board part 141 has an
elongate, approximately rectangular shape, as shown in FIG. 3. The
main board part 141 is approximately flat except that, as shown in
FIG. 11, one side edge portion 146 has a small amount of curl, and
the opposite side edge portion 147 is bent to extend at an acute
angle .alpha. with respect to the flat central portion of the
board, the angle .alpha. being approximately 10.degree.. Referring
to FIGS. 4 and 7, the main board part 141 has near each of two
corners a finger groove 148, and on the opposite side of the main
board part, in alignment with the finger grooves 148, are
respective finger ridges 149. As shown in FIG. 4, two corners of
the main board part 141 near the finger grooves 148 are angled at
151 and 152. In the region of each of the pivot assemblies 137 and
138, the main board part 141 has a rectangular recess extending
into the edge portion 146, one of these recesses being shown at 153
in FIG. 12.
The reinforcing board part 142 is approximately the same length as
the main board part 141, but is not as wide. As shown in FIG. 11,
the reinforcing board 142 is located adjacent the edge portion 146
of the main board part 141, and has a surface 156 on one side
thereof which is disposed against the surface 157 on the main board
part 141, the surface 156 being rounded at 158 to conform to the
rounded portion of surface 157 caused by the curled edge portion
146 of board part 141. The board parts 141 and 142 are fixedly
secured to each other by a conventional adhesive and/or ultrasonic
welding. The board part 142 has a shallow groove 159 extending the
full length thereof on a side thereof opposite from the main board
part 141, the shallow groove 159 having a width slightly greater
than the width of the top rail 61 of side rail 24.
Extending into the reinforcing board part 142 from the rounded edge
portion 158 thereof are two rectangular recesses, one of which is
shown at 161 in FIG. 12, the two rectangular recesses in board part
142 each being aligned with a respective one of the rectangular
recesses in 153 in main board part 141. The surface 156 of board
part 142 has in the region of each rectangular recess 161 two
grooves 164, which as shown in FIG. 12 communicate with and extend
in opposite directions away from the rectangular recess 161. As
shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, the pivot assembly 137 includes an
elongate cylindrical pin which has a length substantially greater
than the width of the rectangular recesses 153 and 161, and has
each of its end portions disposed in a respective one of the
grooves 164. Once the board parts 141 and 142 are adhesively
secured together, the surface 157 on board part 141 maintains the
pin 166 in the grooves 164, as evident from FIG. 11.
The pivot assembly 137 also includes a plate 167 which has an upper
edge disposed against and welded to the underside of pin 166, the
upper portion 171 of plate 167 closest to the pin 166 having a
width which is slightly less than the width of the rectangular
recesses 153 and 161 in the board parts 141 and 142, and a lower
portion 172 of plate 167 having a width which is about half the
width of the upper portion 172. The portion 172 has a circular hole
173 extending through it. A rectangular metal stop 174 of square
cross section is disposed against one side of the pin 166 so as to
extend parallel thereto, and is welded to the pin 166. The length
of the pin 174 is less than the width of the portion 171 of plate
167 but greater than the width of portion 172 of plate 167.
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 12, the top surface 177 of the stop 174 is
slightly lower than the top 178 of pin 166.
The end portion 119 of support arm 112 has a slot 181 (FIG. 8)
extending into it and defining two spaced wall portions 182 and
183. The lower portion 172 of plate 167 is disposed between the
wall portions 182 and 183, and a pivot pin or rivet 184 extends
through aligned openings in the wall portions 182 and 183 and
through the hole 173 in the plate 167, thereby effecting a pivotal
support of the plate 167 on the end portion 119 of support arm 112.
The pin 184 extends parallel to the pivot portion 116 of arm
112.
The pivot assembly 138 is identical to the pivot assembly 137, and
the manner in which the pivot assembly 138 cooperates with the
support board 136 and support arm 113 is the same as described
above for pivot assembly 137. Therefore, pivot assembly 138 is not
described in detail.
FIG. 10 discloses a support board mechanism 186 which is an
alternative embodiment of the support board mechanism 103 of FIG.
1. The embodiment of FIG. 10 includes a collapsible side rail like
the side rail 24 shown in FIG. 1, but the side rail has been
omitted from FIG. 10 for clarity. Components which are identical to
those in the embodiment of FIG. 1 are designated in FIG. 10 with
the same reference numerals used in the embodiment of FIG. 1. Only
the differences are discussed in detail below.
The support board mechanism 186 shown in FIG. 10 includes a support
board 187 coupled by two pivot assemblies 137 and 138 to two
support arms 188 and 189 which movably support the board 187 on the
spine 22. The pivot assemblies 137 and 138 are identical to those
in the embodiment of FIG. 1, and are therefore not discussed in
detail. The support board 187 differs from the support board 136 of
FIG. 1 only in that it is about half as long and two-thirds as
wide. The primary difference between the embodiment of FIG. 10 and
the embodiment of FIG. 1 is the structure of the support arms 188
and 189, and the manner in which they are pivotally supported on
the spine 22. The support arms 188 and 189 are identical, and
therefore only the support arm 188 is described in detail.
The support arm 188 includes an elongate rectangular metal plate
191 which is pivotally supported at one end on the spine 22 by a
bolt 193, which extends horizontally through aligned openings in
the plate 191 and the spine 22. The opposite end of the plate 191
is welded to an end of a bent rod 194. The rod 194 includes an end
portion 196 which extends away from the plate 191 perpendicular
thereto, a central portion 197 which extends approximately parallel
to the bolt 193, and an end portion 198 which extends approximately
perpendicular to the central portion 197. A fitting 201 is fixedly
welded to the outer end of the portion 198 of rod 194, and the
pivot assembly 137 is pivotally coupled to the fitting 201 in
substantially the same way that the fitting 137 in FIG. 8 is
coupled to the end 119 of arm 112.
OPERATION
Referring to FIG. 1, when the support board mechanisms 103 and 104
are each in the retracted positions shown in FIG. 1, the side rails
23 and 24 can be placed in their raised positions, each being held
in the raised position by the latch mechanism in the respective
spindle support 45. In this position, the handle portion 72 of the
end spindle 53 of each side rail can be manually grasped by a
respective hand of a person, and used to manually maneuver the
wheeled vehicle 10. Each handle portion 72 is at a vertical height
and at an angle which make it comfortable for a person standing
next to the end of the bed to grasp each handle portion 72. The
spindles 53 are close enough to the end of the bed so that the
person does not have to lean over the bed, which reduces the risk
of a back injury and the extent to which the person and any patient
on the bed may tend to breathe on the other and thereby spread a
contagious disease.
Turning to the support board mechanisms 103 and 104 in FIG. 1,
their operation is substantially identical, thus only the operation
of the support board mechanism 103 will be described in detail. An
important function of the support board mechanism 103 is to
facilitate the transfer of a patient between the vehicle 10 and
another vehicle or a bed. To effect such a transfer, the vehicle 10
is placed next to the other vehicle or bed. Then, the level of the
surface 18 of the vehicle 10 is adjusted to be at the same height
as the patient support surface on a mattress 204 (FIG. 5) of the
adjacent vehicle or bed, using the conventional (and not
illustrated) height adjustment mechanism present in the vehicle
base 12. Then, with the side rail 24 in the collapsed position of
FIG. 2, the finger groove 148 and/or finger ridge 149 at one end of
the support board 136 is manually gripped and used to raise the
board vertically upwardly from the position shown in FIGS. 1-3 to
the position shown in FIG. 4. During this movement, the support
arms 112 and 113 pivot clockwise in FIGS. 4 and 9. The spring 132
tends to urge pivotal movement of these parts in this direction.
The spring 132 is preferably selected so that it counterbalances
most of the weight of the board 136. Thus, a person lifting the
board 136 can do so by exerting only a relatively small force on
the board at one end thereof. The link 126 ensures that the arms
112 and 113 pivot synchronously, so that the ends of the board 136
move upwardly by the same amount and at the same time.
Once the board 136 has been raised to the position shown in FIG. 4,
it is pivoted 90.degree. about the cylindrical pins 166 from the
position shown in solid lines in FIG. 8 to the position shown in
broken lines in FIG. 8 and in solid lines in FIG. 5. It will be
noted from FIG. 5 that the shallow groove 159 in the underside of
the board 136 receives the top rail 61 of the collapsed side rail
24, so that the side rail 24 provides solid support for the left
end of the support board 136. As previously mentioned with
reference to FIG. 2, the central portion 73 of the bent end spindle
53 is at the same height as the top rail 61 in the collapsed
position of the side rail 24, and thus also engages the shallow
groove in the underside of the support board 36 and helps to
provide support for the board 136. Further, the projections 76 on
the spindle supports 47-50 in FIG. 2 each support a respective
spindle at a location adjacent its pivotal connection to the top
rail 61, so that the top rail 61 is itself solidly supported and
will not tend to have any vertical play when downward forces are
exerted onto it from the support board 136. The semicircular
recesses in the projection 26 each receive a respective one of the
spindles, and prevent transverse movement of the top rail 61 which
in turn, through cooperation with groove 159, prevents transverse
movement of support board 136.
It should be noted that the movement of the support board 136 from
its retracted position to its operational position can be carried
out when the stretcher 10 and the other bed or stretcher are in a
close side-by-side relationship, without any need to jockey the
relative positions of the stretchers.
When the board 136 is in the position shown in FIG. 5, the top
surface thereon is substantially flush with and adjacent to the top
surface 18 on mattress 17, and the rounded end portion 146 ensures
that, as a patient is slid from the mattress 17 across the board
136 to the other mattress 204, there are no sharp edges on the
board 136 which could snag the patient, the patient's bed clothes
or any sheet being moved with the patient. The downwardly inclined
edge portion 147 of the board 136 tends to depress and thus grip
the top surface of the mattress 204, which helps to resist any
tendency for the mattresses 17 and 204 to move apart, and also
facilitates movement of a patient onto and across the board 136
when the patient is being moved in the opposite direction (from the
mattress 204 to the mattress 17). The patient's weight tends to
contribute to the gripping effect of the edge portion 147. The ABS
board 136 has an inherently low coefficient of friction which
facilitates the patient transfer.
After the patient has been transferred, the board 136 is manually
pivoted 90.degree. back to the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, in
which, as shown in FIG. 8, the top surface 177 on each stop 174
engages the inner end of the associated rectangular recess 153 in
the main board part 141, thereby preventing pivotal movement of the
board 136 past the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, and thereby
preventing the board 136 from falling onto and possibly injuring
the patient. The board may then be manually lowered to the original
position shown in FIGS. 1-3, or may simply be released and allowed
to drop to its original position as a result of the force of
gravity, the counterbalancing effected by the spring 132 ensuring
that the downward movement of the board is relatively gentle. In
this original position, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 9, the end
portions 119 of the support arms 112 and 113 engage the stops 41
and 42 on the stirrups 38 and 39, to prevent further downward
movement of the board 136. However, it should be noted that the end
portions 119 of the support arms 112 and 113 are each parallel to
and disposed against a lower edge of the board 136 in this lowered
position. Consequently, and as mentioned earlier, the stirrups 38
and 39 could in fact be omitted, in which case the engagement of
the edge of the board 136 with the end portions 119 of the arms 112
and 113 would serve to prevent downward movement of the board 136
beyond the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 9.
The board 136 can be moved to the position of FIG. 5 even when the
vehicle 10 is not adjacent another vehicle or bed, in which case
the board will be cantilevered because the edge portion 147 will
not be disposed on another mattress. The board 136 could then be
used for purposes other than transferring a patient onto or off of
the vehicle 10. For example, the arm of a patient lying on the
mattress 17 could be placed on the support board 36 during
insertion into the arm of an intravenous needle, and could
thereafter be maintained on the board 136 while the intravenous
needle remains in the arm.
Turning now to the alternative embodiment of FIG. 10, operation is
substantially the same as that described above for the embodiment
of FIG. 1, except that the embodiment of FIG. 10 has no link member
coupling the support arms 188 and 189 to force them to pivot
synchronously, and has no spring producing a force to
counterbalance the weight of the support board 187. However, since
the support board 187 is shorter and lighter than the support board
136 of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the support board 187 of FIG. 10
is easier to manually maneuver and thus a link and a counterbalance
are not necessary. The board 186 of FIG. 10 is intended primarily
for purposes such as supporting a patient arm during the insertion
of an intravenous needle. However, the board 186 of FIG. 10 can be
used to effect a patient transfer in substantially the same manner
as the support board 136 in the embodiment of FIG. 1, in particular
by sliding the patient's torso and head across the support board
186 while manually supporting the feet of the patient.
Preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in
detail for illustrative purposes, but it will be recognized that
variations or modifications of the disclosed devices, including the
rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present
invention.
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